"He didn’t want to face the competition" - RB Leipzig sporting director blasts Liverpool loanee Fabio Carvalho after failed move

RB Leipzig sporting director Rouven Schroder has slammed Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho following his dismal loan spell at the Red Bull Arena. While the 48-year-old hailed the quality of the attacking midfielder, he claimed that he did not do enough to earn his place in the side.

Schroder insisted that they signed the Portugal under-21 international with big hopes having been impressed with his performances for Fulham in the Championship before joining the Reds. While he admitted that the 21-year-old has great attributes, he claimed that Carvalho did not show enough intent while at RB Leipzig.

Schroder claimed that Carvalho did not want to fight for his place, which is why he struggled for minutes during his loan spell. The RB Leipzig sporting director said, as quoted by Metro:

"‘We consciously chose Fabio last summer. He had a great season with Fulham in the English second division, which is very physical. We said to ourselves: great talent, good age, has already gained his experience."

Schroder added:

"Still, you only get to know a player as an end product when he’s there. Fabio has a great character. But he realised: “OK, there’s a competitor here, I have to do more!”. And we noticed that he didn’t want to face the competition."

Carvalho had a disappointing loan spell with RB Leipzig in the first half of the season, during which he played just 360 minutes of football. Liverpool eventually recalled the 21-year-old this month and sent him on loan to Hull City for the second half of the season.

The youngster recently made his debut for the Tigers in the Championship in a 2-1 defeat against Norwich City. Liam Rosenior's side are seventh in the table right now and will be hoping that Carvalho can help them get back to the Premier League once again.

Carvalho spent the 2022-23 season at Liverpool after joining the Reds in a deal worth a reported £5 million, potentially rising to £7.7 million with add-ons. He had just 638 minutes of playing time for the Merseyside club, scoring thrice in the process.

---

Liverpool target hailed as a 'magician' by current teammate

Liverpool target Florian Wirtz has been hailed as a 'magician' by his Bayer Leverkusen teammate Victor Boniface. The Nigeria international has admitted that he was awestruck by the German midfielder's abilities before joining Xabi Alonso's side in the summer.

Boniface waxed lyrical about Wirtz for his skills on the ball and his ability to find a teammate while also praising his all-round game. He told the Obi One Podcast, as quoted by Liverpool World:

“When I was linked to Leverkusen, then I had to watch some of the videos, then I saw him and the way he played - this guy is a magician. We are not surprised what he is doing in the game because in training it’s crazy. When he’s with the ball nobody wants to mark him."

The Nigerian striker added:

"He is so good, he is fast, he is strong, and skilful. He has the strength, sometimes you see a number 10 that can use the ball without defending but he can do it all. He can defend, he can attack, it’s skilful. In training I try to play with him a lot just because I want the same energy in the game.”

As claimed by the aforementioned source, Liverpool are one of the many clubs who admire Wirtz. Along with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp's side are closely following the progress of the 20-year-old Germany international. Wirtz has contributed eight goals and 12 assists in 23 games across competitions this campaign.